Use of optical out on new macmini dual core

I bought a new ~Belkin optical cable. It fits perfectly in my macmini and my bose 321 system. This 321 system has an optical entry. But ....
the description by the mac how to get the mac to use the optical out is not told. It is told to select optical out in the configuration screen under sound. I don't have this option! Ithought the updat of the minimac would have solved the problem, but it didn't. Please help me! I want to use this optical cable, so that I can use the bose system in combination with the minimac!
Kind regards David Rietveld

With the exception, as noted of the DVD player, it's System Preferences>Sound>Output. Make sure you used the mini-toslink/optical adapter and that the cable is securely snapped into an INPUT port on your bose system. Everything will be (as noted) auto-detected, and you should see the option:
Digital Out Built - In Output
Select it. If you have multiple adapters for sound (ex a usb audio adapter), then you might want to select the digital output for use only w/ dvd player. Choose where you want your system sound and alerts sent in the other tabs of Sound.
On your bose unit you may have both analog and digital inputs for the same source. I'm not questioning your competence, more my knowledge the equipment you are utilizing. Make sure you select OPTICAL as the input for that source.
For example,
You have buttons for Video 1, Video 2, and DVD. On the back you have a coax digital, a couple of toslink/optical digital connectors and a bunch of RCAs. If you hook up ALL the wires from each device then press Video 1; it MAY just use the analog connections...and since you're ONLY sending digital you won't hear a thing.
If you have 'auto-detect' for analog or digital it probably prioritizes digital over analog and will merely work IF SELECTED. Some systems may do the reverse.
Good Luck,
-j

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I've done some searching of the internet (and these support communities) for this problem and there seems to be little information about it. It does seem to affect a few other people though and some have resorted to third party applications or scripts which play silent audio at regular intervals to keep the optical output running permanently (e.g. SoundStay (https://www.macupdate.com/app/mac/39833/soundstay) - no longer maintained and the download link is dead). However, these amount to a kludge at best which treat the symptoms rather than the underlying cause, which I would rather resolve.
I tried to log a support case with Apple in order to have them call me, only to have the system tell me that my support has already expired, despite having purchased the Mac only 4 months ago. It seems that my Apple One-Year Limited Warranty is actually only 90 days when it comes to telephone support. So here I am!
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Hello kcore66,
Would it be possible for you to upload one of the files in
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simply moving the audio object back and forth along the timeline
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HTH
Regards,
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?[email protected]

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Use of optical out on new macmini dual core

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